


The Best Laid Schemes o' Mice an' Men

by Quipxotic



Series: Death Comes in Dreams [3]
Category: Highlander: The Series
Genre: Angst, Conversations, Episode: s05e13 Revelation 6:8, F/M, Ficlet, Gap Filler, Past Relationship(s), Post-Episode: s05e13 Revelation 6:8, Talking, Visions in dreams
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-12
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-11-30 16:47:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11467614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quipxotic/pseuds/Quipxotic
Summary: Kronos is dead. As Methos debates his next move, a now all too familiar visitor questions his choices.





	The Best Laid Schemes o' Mice an' Men

Methos settled into one of the hotel room’s two chairs and began reading the travel guide he’d picked up after his meeting with MacLeod.

“What now, Adam?”

He looked up, only mildly surprised to see Alexa Bond sitting beside him. 

“I think a tour of holy sites is in order. Maybe followed by some more time in Tibet-”

“Are you trying to avoid Cassandra or Duncan?”

He considered lying, but decided there wasn’t any point. “A bit of both actually. I just…don’t want to have to kill anyone else for a while, not after Silas.” He cleared his throat and continued in a lighter tone. “Or be killed, for that matter. Of course the fact that you’re here means I’m asleep, which is a bit risky given that Cassandra is still out there. Who knows how long she’ll do as Mac asked?”

“I wouldn’t worry. Death isn’t that bad.”

“I’d prefer to take your word for it.”

Alexa nodded, a small smile on her face as she conceded his point. “What do you think would have happened if Kronos had won?”

“Assuming I’d survived?”

“Of course.” 

Methos drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair as he considered the question. “After losing Silas and Caspian? He probably would have made good on his threats and taken my head.”

“I don’t think so. The others were more like a comfortable habit than a necessity, but you were different. Horsemen or no Horsemen, he needed you with him.”

“He really didn’t.” Methos leaned away from her as if distancing himself physically would allow him to avoid an idea he found distasteful. “Kronos was perfectly capable of creating his own particular brand of mayhem without my assistance.”

“I didn’t mean that. Obviously he didn’t need you to help him kill, but you brought something valuable to his life. You were someone he could mentally spare with, someone who remembered his glory days-”

“You make him sound like some middle-aged ex-footballer reliving his youth rather than someone who wanted to bring about the apocalypse.” 

“I’m serious. In his own twisted way, I think maybe he loved-”

“Kronos didn’t love anyone,” Methos interrupted her angrily. “He loved pain, power, and control and he valued other people only as long as they helped him achieve those ends. I was just his favorite plaything - a convenient whetstone for his mind or a handy weapon, depending on his mood.”

Alexa lay her hand on his. “I’m sorry if I upset you. For whatever it’s worth, I wasn’t trying to.”

He looked down at their hands and his bitterness ebbed slightly. “Fine. But then what’s the point to any of this?”

“I don’t know.” She frowned, searching for the right words. “For someone who seemed so cold and uncaring about almost everything, his feelings for you were…surprisingly intense. I was just trying to understand why.” 

“Yes, well it doesn’t matter what he felt any more, does it?”

“If you’re implying that the feelings of the dead don’t matter, consider me terribly insulted.” 

Slowly he curled his fingers around hers. “Present company excluded.” 

“Thank you.” Her smile faded quickly this time. “So was Mac right? Did you plan the whole thing? Manipulate everyone in order to finally be free of Kronos?”

“What do you think?”

She sighed and stared past him into the darkness. “You’re not nearly as Machiavellian as you want everyone to believe, Adam. You’re more of an opportunist. I think you hoped Silas would refuse Kronos’s invitation and then the two of you could join forces to kill him - that’s why you took Kronos there first. When that didn’t happen, you did just enough to delay his plans until Duncan could find you and finish him off.” She focused on his face again. “Besides, I don’t think any plan of yours would have ended with Silas dead and you on your knees while Cassandra held an axe to your throat.”

“You know what they say about well-laid plans.” Methos shrugged, but didn’t contradict her. “These ‘visits’ of yours are becoming a habit. Should I expect more?”

“Why should you? It’s not like you listen to any of the advice I give.”

“To be fair, you haven’t given me any advice to ignore this time.” 

“Okay, how about this: call Joe. He’ll want to know you’re alive and I’m sure he’d be willing to listen-”

“I’m sure he already knows what happened. Given how public things got with Kronos and Cassandra, I’ve probably been identified as an immortal by the Watchers. If that’s the case, Dawson will have enough problems of his own to deal with without taking on mine.”

“All the more reason-“

“No,” he replied firmly and let go of her hand. “But I’ll try to get in touch with him later. Good enough?”

“I guess it’ll have to do.” She reached out to touch his face. “It’s just…you don’t have to do everything on your own, you know?” 

“I wish that were true.” Methos leaned into her touch briefly before pulling away. “It’s good to see you, Alexa, even if you are only a figment of my imagination.” 

“‘If?’” She smiled at him again. “I guess that’s progress.”

Methos jolted awake as the travel guide he’d been holding slipped from his fingers and landed with a thud on the hotel room floor. He blinked in confusion at the empty chair beside him and wiped his hand across his eyes. It was a dream. Always just a dream.

He stood and stretched before walking to the bedside table. His fingers lingered on the phone for a moment as he debated his next move. He could be in Italy by morning. Rome would be lousy with tourists, but so much of the city had been holy ground at one time or another…

“Don’t be ridiculous. It was just a dream,” he chided himself, but he hesitated all the same. 

At last he picked up the phone. Feeling foolish, Methos dialed Joe Dawson’s number and, as he waited for someone to pick up, he muttered. “I really have become sentimental in my old age.”


End file.
